22 Tithes for the Sentries

Two barbarians were on their way to meet the VIP, or a possible client, who had requested their presence by midnight. Due to the nature of their arranged meeting-the future client had claimed so, they were to take the underground passage known only to the men and women of 3-Divines' church. Walking down on the secret passage, damp and a bit narrow, the two mercenaries remained rather silent. Without their cumbersome exo-skeleton armors and massive war-gears, they were instead wearing lightweight poly-mails and carried short tech-swords as a token of their honor.

Yet, this whole meeting was unexpected at all-so suddenly arranged that it had left the two quite bewildered at first. Furthermore, the one who had thus requested to have a meeting was not the Governor himself, nor his mundane retainers, but rather someone up high among the ranks of the clergy. Despite its confusing nature, Gael and Prince Aelthred had eventually decided to join the meeting, since it could have been their another chance to earn themselves plenty of gold and honor. Now at present, they were treading the dark, underground path in anticipation of their possible opportunities, with their doubts and bewilderment cast far away.

Out of the silence, the noble Prince spoke first.

"Good friend, thou who have been serving the proud prince of Geats for thy life, I see that your spirit is now ever vigorous, full of earthly joy and vitality. Yea, such is true, by the looks of your eyes glaring and the limbs whirling like some whirlwind. You seem to be fully enjoying yourself, are you not, old friend?"

"Aye, my lord. The way to treat one's man-caressing him would be the same as well-has always been like this, ever since I was just a little girl who knew nothing. Things tend to go well, and amiable, if I play him right; should it not be the case, then some harsh beating, or even a broken nose or tooth, always does the trick. The boy was tender and beautiful, indeed. Yet, it surely took a while for me to make him docile. Lo, love is an arduous labor-as it has been so, for one shall harvest her ripen fruit, loving and obedient, only if she endures the pain in her palm lashing the boy with a bullwhip!"

Such was true for Gael, for there evidently left some red, bleeding bruises on her knuckles; they had apparently served her as the very tools of discipline while on the bed with her beauty. Either going rough or making love with tenderness, she did not matter which one it would be during her long night. A moment later, however, as she faced the humidity of the underground corridor, no longer feeling the warmth of her room with the boy, she began to grumble on the person they were to meet soon.

"Yet, I can say for sure that our VIP truly has a gut to call upon us, even after all the things we have done to those lackeys of the Empire, fulfilling our part of the deal. Lucky are those who still feast themselves, even at this moment, in joy, while their superiors are going through all these bad air and humidity, on their way to meet some old, withering scumbag! Were it not for the fact that he is actually one among the few high and noble enough to pay us greatly, then I would surely have snapped the neck of his messenger."

With his friend's complaining, Aelthred could not help but give a good laugh at it.

"Well, that is surely a bold talk, coming out from the mouth of some valiant tech-maiden the land has to offer! Have some faith, old friend, for, I assure you, there shall be plenty of gold promised unto us should we manage to show ourselves upon the meeting."

"Even now, my lord, this body of mine itches and yearns for the heat of fiery love, wanting to subjugate him once again under my groin. Nevertheless, here I am, by the biddings of her lord, walking instead beneath the smelly groin of our mother earth, deprived of the pleasure that is rightfully due to her. All I hope for now, just as you said earlier, is that the gold he's willing to us would be great enough to compensate all these trouble of ours; or else I shall skin his hide raw."

Enough with her sarcastic jests, she asked the Prince with rather seriousness.

"My lord, do you, anyhow, suspect that it is a trap? There are surely a number of them on this land who despise the kinds like us."

"Not a living one could ever tell it, my friend; only when we die in glory and join our ancestors up in heavens, then we shall be able to see, from above, whether it was some foul trap or not. Still, it is certain that we are at this moment too young to die, not ready yet to join our venerable fathers and mothers. As such, we are left no other choices but to face it upright, with our senses, wits and weapons readied all the time."

"Therefore, my sister-in-arms, I urge you to have faith in your prowess and spirit. We always face uncertainties on our path to eternal glory, and such is needed should we ever wish to overcome any of them. So be brave, good friend, and steel yourself, for we all do not know what lies before our journey of life on this barren earth."

After the wise words of Aelthred, the two warriors went silent again, and continued with their journey underground.

"In return for our prolonged stay, what do you possibly have to offer us, ye good priest of 3-Divines? Moreover, in a practical manner, pray tell us how you shall compensate the expenses of our staying here any further." Said Prince Aelthred generously, yet with firmness.

Seated behind the desk, Esteban, with his eyebrows lifted a little, frowned for a moment upon hearing the Prince.

"Yes, my children. About that matter, I've already prepared adequate amount of gold, plenty enough to feed and reward your people. If the gold alone cannot satisfy their needs, then I could always substitute some of it with other necessities they require."

"Might I ask you the reason for this, Cardinal? It has been quite a long talk indeed, especially about your people's latest suffering, and yet I do not recall you have ever told us why we are needed here once again." Gael asked.

Irritated, Esteban went on. "The magnitude of our latest incident, I would say," Esteban answered. "and for the sake of preventing possible events that would wreck havoc on the entire dominion. You are to stay here awhile longer so that you shall keep away the monster while the church is on the investigation. This apparently happened within the jurisdiction of the church, so no others may dare to sniff around it without our permission."

"Besides, as you 'may' know, this is not simply a matter of my flocks getting killed, but rather more about risking the legitimacy of my lord's reign upon this land. The commons would be disturbed, and the lords, as well, would be dissatisfied. Even, the central politics of the Holy Empire would likely take a notice of it, where the situation could get only worse, not better."

"It is interesting indeed that you, one among the pious clergy, well know how the earthly politics work around these parts, as if such concerns you as much as it does to your governor. I'm impressed." So said Gael, with sarcasm.

Aelthred then gave a stare at his bold lieutenant, shushing her from scorning their VIP any further.

"Again, the gold and other goods shall come from my private vault; the first half shall be granted to you by the end of this week, and the rest will be given by the time our deal is concluded. You and your warriors, then, are required to remain upon this land and stay vigilant for the next six months, right before the winter, should you agree with the terms of our contract." As such, the Cardinal confirmed the deal, now looking even more tired and irritated.

"Very well, Cardinal. The other things, then, we should know in advance when holding our own side of the bargain, might I ask?" Aelthred asked.

"Yes, indeed. There is one thing you have to bear in mind; you shall not tell your people the details of our deal, including all the things I have said upon you hitherto. The mere fact that you are staying here for some extra reward shall do, if such would be the case. What we have discussed so far, the reason I'm holding you onto our land further, should remain in secrecy. Thankfully, most of the commons and lords alike, even the Governor himself, know not much about the incident as we do. I want it to be taken care of in a discreet manner, and by now I trust you would understand why."

"So long as our promised gold is secure and intact, then it shall be no matter to us at all. Your secrets shall be kept." The Prince assured him.